Keyboard for type-writers.



No. 674,747. Patented May 2|, Ism. J. B. v|nAL.

KEYBOARD FUR TYPE WRITERS.

(Application led July 12, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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linrrnn STATES PArnnfr @turca JUAN BAUTISTA VIDAL, OF HAVANA, CUBA.

KEYBOARD FOR TYPE-WRITERS.

SPEClFIGATION forming part of` Letters Patent No. 674,747, dated May 21,1901.

Application led July l2, 1900. Serial No. 23,40%. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JUAN BAUTISTA VIDAL, a citizen of Cuba, and aresident of Havana, Cuba, have invented a new and Improved Keyboard forType-Vriters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to keyboards of typewriters, and has for its objectto provide an improved arrangement of keys by which the attainment ofgreat speed iu writing will be facilitated and which will enable anoperator to write as much by touch as by sight, thus rendering the workeasier.

Theinvention will be fully described hereinafter and the features ofnovelty pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan of the improved keyboard. Fig. 2 is a front elevationthereof, and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

I desire it to be understood that the shape and connection of the leversor arms which carry the keys form no part of my invention, which residesentirely in the relative location and in the construction of the keysproperthat is, those parts on which the lingers are brought to bear. Itis my intention that the key-levers should be made of a shapesubstantially like that used in the machine to which it is desired toadapt my invention. It will therefore be understood that the key-leversshown in the drawings are an example only and that any other well-knownor approved construction of key-levers may be em ployed.

As shown in the drawings, I employ keylevers A, fulcrumed at B upon theframe C. These levers are preferably readily detachable, so as tofacilitate the application of the keyboard to existing machines by thesubstitution for the old key-levers of key-levers having the keysarranged according to my invention. The number of keys and key-leverswill, as usual, depend upon the style of the machine.

Aceording to my invention I arrange the keys in two sections, one forthe right hand and the other for the left, and in each section I disposethe keys in groups, one group for each finger.

A keyboard having the keys numbered from 1 to 27 will suftice in manycases; but Where agreater number of keys is used I/may add thosenumbered from 2S to 42. Each of these keys corresponds to a letter orsign which is produced upon the key as usual, and the arrangement varieswith the language for which the machine is intended and also with themachines made by different manufacturers, and the distribution of thealphabet and signs among the keys forms no part of my invention.

The keys located to the left of the dotted line o'. ct-that is, the keysnumbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19, 25, 2S, 29, 30and31--are intended for operation by the left hand and the other keys foroperation by the lingers of the right hand. The key 27 is the space-key.The little finger of the left hand operates the keys 1, 16, and 23; thering-{inger, the keys 2, 9, 17, and 29; the middle finger, the keys 3,10, 18, and 30; the index, the keys 4, 11, 19, and 31, and the thumb thekey 25. The thumb ofthe right hand operates the keys 26 and 27; theindex, the keys 5, 12,

20, 2l, and 32; the middle finger, the keys 13, 22, and 33; thering-linger, the keys 7, 14, 23, and 34, and the remaining keys at theright-hand end are intended to be operated by the little finger of theright hand. The keys 1, 2, 3, 4, and 25 on one side and 8, 7, 6, 5, and26 on the other side are located at such relative distances from eachother as correspond to the normal positions of the fingertips when thehand is in a natural position, similar to that customary in playing on apiano or like key instrument.

To guide the lingers so that they may distinguish the keys by the touchand to relieve the operator of the necessity for keeping his eyes on thekeyboard, I make some of the keys with upwardly-extending projections orstops. Thus the keys 1 and 16 have stops l and 16a upon their exteriorsidesw-that is, to the left-and the corresponding keys 8 and 24 haveprojections 8a and 24a at the right. The

keys 9 and 11 of the left-hand section and the keys 12 and 14 of theright-hand section have stops 9, 11a, 12, and 14a on their front ends,the keys 30 and 33 have stops 30n and 33, respectively, at their rearedges, and keys 4,

IOO

19, and 20 have stops designated, respectively, as 4a, 19, and 20a, upontheir opposing or inner sides-that is, on the right for the keys 4 and19 and on the left for key 20. The operator can thus readily find thekeys even in the dark and is enabled to attain considerable speedwithout a great strain on the eyes.

The keys adapted for operation by the same finger do not range in astraight line from front to rear, nor are they located at the sameheight. As regards the arrangement from front to rear the keys adaptedto be pressed by the little finger are disposed approximately in the arcof a circle -or in a series of circles the centers of which are at thekey upon which the thumb is adapted to rest. Thus the keys 1, 16, and 28are approximately in the arc of a circle whose center is at 25, and apoint in the vicinity of the keys 26 27 is the approximate center of anare in which are arranged the keys 15, 8, 24, and and of two furtherarcs, one of which contains the keys 42, 40, 38, and 36 and the otherthe keys 41, 39, and 37. Owing to this arrangement a turning or pivotalmovement of the hand, with the thumb for a fulcrum, will bring thelittlefinger into successive registry with the keys adapted to beoperated by it and located in the same arc or column. In the othergroups also the keys are arranged in staggering fashion, those of therear rows being nearer the center of the keyboard (line a a) than thosein the front rows. It will also be observed that in a row of keysadapted for operation by the ringiingers, the middle finger, and theindex, respectively, as the keys 2, 3, and 4, the middle key 3 islocated farther to the rear than the other two and the little-fingerkeys are located farther to the front than the ringiinger keys of thesame row. This arrangement corresponds to the actual position of thefinger-tips, owing to the different lengths of the fingers. Y

The dierence in the height of the keys appears clearlyin Fig. 2. As hereshown, the height increases within one column from front to rear, andwithin the same row the height increases from the middle key outward.Thus of the keys in the row 1 2 3 4 the key 3 is the lowest, the keys 2and 4 are at about the same height, and the key 1 is still higher. Thethumb-keys 25 26 are slightly lower than those of the index, orapproximately at the same height. The spacing-key 27 is much lower thanthe others, so that it is readily distinguishable.

The arrangement of the keys at different heights is not absolutelyessentiah The invention is of course applicable to other machines havingkeyboards similar to that of a type-writer. I

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-'- 1. A keyboard for typewriters and the like, havingthe keys arranged in a left-hand section and a right-hand section,eachsection comprising five successive groups disposed from the centeroutward and adapted to be operated by the respective fingers, the keysof the middle group or column of each section being farther to the rearthan the keys of the adjacent groups in the same row.

2. A keyboard for type-writers and the like having the keys arranged intwo sections, each section comprising five successive groups disposedfrom the center outward, the keys of each section being of differentheights and the keys of the several groups so arranged with respect toeach other as to correspond with the position of the ngers due to theirdifference in length.

3. A keyboard for type-writers Vand the like, having the keys arrangedin a left-hand section and a right-hand section, each section comprisingfive successive groups disposed from the center outward and adapted tobe operated by the respective fingers, sundry of the border-keys orperipheral keys of each section being provided, at that side which isnearest to the periphery, with upward projections or stops adapted forengagement by the operators fingers.

4. A keyboard for type writers and the like, having the keys arranged ina left-hand section and a right-hand section, each section comprisingtive successive groups disposed from the center outward and adapted tobev operated by the respective fingers, sundry of the keys in the frontrow and rear row being provided with upward projections or stops attheir front and rear edges respectively, and sundry of the keys in theinner and outer row having like projections or stops at their inner andouter edges respectively.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JUAN BAUTISTA VIDAL.

Witnesses:

GEO. EUGENE BRYsoN, FRANcIsco SANTA MARINA.

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